AAM offers qualified praise for 'Better Deal'

WASHINGTON — In a post on its official blog, "Manufacture This," the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has weighed in on "A Better Deal," the official strategy unveiled by the Democratic Party.

"The plan is scant on details and they're still in the minority, but you gotta start somewhere," Matthew McMullan, AAM's director of communications wrote the day after Democratic congressional leadership unveiled its strategy in Berryville, Va.

Throughout the write-up, McMullan quotes aJuly 24 op-ed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that was published in the New York Times. In the op-ed, Sen. Schumer promised to increase workers' pay, reduce their everyday expenses and "provide workers with the tools they need for the 21st-century economy."

"They're keeping it nice and simple," Mr. McMullan wrote. "I think that's a good idea. But I wanna hear more about that last part, about 'tools for the 21st-century economy.'"

Mr. McMullan also emphasized the Democrats' new focus, which would give employers — especially small businesses — a large tax credit to train workers for unfilled jobs. Doing so, Sen. Schumer claims, would help to bolster small cities and rural areas that often lose younger workers seeking jobs elsewhere.

The Democrats also have committed to growing their stated ideas and policies, Sen. Schumer wrote, promising his party will focus on "rebuilding rural America" and working to change trade laws to benefit workers, not corporations.

That's the message that resonates well with the AAM, Mr. McMullen notes.

"The Alliance for American Manufacturing is non-partisan, and willing to work with any politician who's interested in creating good-paying factory jobs in America," Mr. McMullan wrote. "And there's stuff in this broad outline that we like.

"Broadly speaking, for instance, we like trade policy that empowers our domestic workforce, and we like American politicians that put that workforce first."

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